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Jian Ghomeshi, is a handsome, youthful looking man whose job as host of CBC's program Q, seemed a charming, open-minded individual, a feminist, even. He has lost his position. CBC fired him. This post isn't about Mr. Ghomeshi or the salacious details of his sexual predilections.It is not a judgement (although I have my opinion); that is the court's role. It is a defense of the women who didn't come forward and press charges when the appealing Mr. Ghomeshi suddenly turned violent and roughed up and/or assaulted them.Two women have released their identities and told their personal stories of abuse at the hands of Jian. He is charming and companionable until he snaps. He chokes women, he punches them and he forces them to perform fellatio. Several accounts mention Big Ears Teddy, a stuffie that Mr. Ghomeshi turns away, saying, "Big Ears doesn't want to see this." He proceeds to get pretty forceful, hurting women and there is nothing consensual about it.The women didn't come forward because they were afraid of the prevailing climate of "slut shaming". She was drinking, she smoked dope, she dressed provocatively. Did you see how she was dancing? They are subjected to the most humiliating questions about a devastating experience. These women are young (or were young) but not necessarily naive. In some cases, Jian was in a celebrity position, an important man at CBC where they worked. One of the women who came forward (but the incident occurred in 2002) is a lawyer. At the time she was working at the firm Ghomeshi hired to sue the CBC. The other woman is an actress who has had an on-going role on Trailer Park Boys.The point is if these women who are intelligent with good jobs, who must know people who are in power, don't come forward how can we expect women in more vulnerable social conditions to do so? Society has to change and so does our justice system. The kind of man to take advantage of a woman's trust and force her to take part in sexual acts she isn't comfortable with must pay for his crime. Women who are raped or assaulted shouldn't have to defend their behaviour or choice of dress. People make mistakes and sent out signals that are misinterpreted? No is no. Women should not be victims of a judgmental society as well as of rape.